Remote control faucet



13, 1956 W. D. HODGE 2,770,502

REMOTE CONTROL FAUCET Filed Aug. 2, 1954 REMOTE CONTROL FAUCET Walter D. Hodge, Kansas City, Kans., assigner to Manley, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application August 2, 1954, Serial No. 447,359

2 Claims. (Cl. 299-140) This invention relates to improvements in devices in the nature of faucets for carbonating beverages automatically as the same are dispensed into a drinking cup or other container, and has for its primary object the provision of a novel arrangement, configuration and design of parts such as to effect a better admixture of a pressurized carbonating fluid with a syrup than has heretofore been made possible through use of structures of the type to which the invention pertains.

It is the most important object of the present invention to provide a mixing and dispensing faucet adapted to receive a carbonating fluid and a syrup simultaneously and to intimately admix the same prior to discharge from a nozzle forming a part of the faucet in a manner to make best use of the carbonating fluid so that the syrup is thoroughly carbonated before such discharge.

Pressurized carbonating fluids such as carbon dioxide, commonly used in the carbonization of soft drinks must be properly handled, particularly at the precise moment it is released into the syrup if the best results are to be expected. Manifestly, as soon as pressurized fluid is released, it expands rapidly and unless great care is taken to release the same gradually and without undue agitation, the` bubbling characteristics thereof in the drink will not be retained.

It is accordingly a very important object of the instant invention to provide a mixing faucet adapted to receive the carbonating fluid, permit gradual and progressive expansion thereof without undue agitation and direct the pressurized carbonating fluid to the syrup as the former expands and while the syrup is itself flowing without undue agitation into the aforementioned discharge nozzle.

Other aims include the way in which the aforementioned principal objects are accomplished through utilization of a faucet body having separate chambers for receiving the syrup and the carbonating duid; the way in which Ithe syrup is discharged into the nozzle through a tube that extends through the chamber for the carbonating fluid; the manner of providing a metering member for gradual and progressive release of the carbonating fluid from its chamber into the nozzle and ultimately into the syrup discharging from the said tube; and many other aims and objects including important details of construction, all to be made clear or become apparent as the following specification progresses.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a remote control faucet made pursuant to the presen-t invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a vertical, longitudinal, cross-sectional view taken on line IIi--III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view of the lowermost end of the syrup discharge tube seen in Figs. l and 3; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken on line V-V of Fig. 4.

A suitably shaped hollow body 10, as shown in the nited States Patent O ice drawing, is provided as a part of the remote control mixing faucet about to be described andwhich may be equipped in any suitable manner for mounting upon or connection with a bulk vending machine not otherwise shown. To this end there is provided a laterally extending pipe 12 rigid to he body 10, housing, and thereby protecting, a supply conduit 14 for syrup and a supply conduit 16 for CO2 or other pressurized carbonating iiuid commonly employedin this field. Manifestly, the conduits 14 and 16 should be adapted for communication with storage receptacles (not shown) for the two fluids and, therefore, there is shown coupling means 18 and 20 on the conduits 14 and 16 respectively.

Tubes 14 and 16 extend through the innermost end of the pipe 12 and thence through the body 10 to communicate directly with chambers 22 and 24 within the body 10 for syrupand carbonating fluid respectively. A central, internally threaded, vertical bore 26 interconnecting the passages 22 and 24, receives the uppermost end of an elongated syrup discharge tube 28 that depends from the bore 26 and projects through the chamber 24. A tool receiving kerf 30 may be provided in the lowermost end of the tube 28 to facilitate insertion and removal of the tube 28 which is held within the bore 26 by external threads 32 on the tube 28.

Bore 26 is provided with a reduced passage 34 directly above the uppermost end of tube 28 and metering means in the nature of a needle or pin valve 36 within the chamber 22, cooperates with the passage 34 in controlling the How of fluid from the chamber 22, through the passage 34 and thence through the tube 28. Needle valve 36, which is screw-threaded in the bod,I 10 may be adjusted simply by removal of a closure 'plug 38.

The external threads 32 of the tube 28 are used advantageously to also adjustably mount a metering member 40 for controlling the gravitational flow of the pressurized carbonating fluid from chamber 24. Member `40 is provided with a setscrew 42-ir1 its hub 44 that bears against the tube 28 to hold the member 40 in adjusted positions with respect to an outwardly flared or frusto-conical outlet 46 for the chamber 24 at the lowermost end of the latter, and which outlet 46 progressively increases in diameter as the lowermost end thereof is approached.

The member 40 also includes a truste-conical head 48 integral with the hub 44 and likewise progressively increasing in diameter as the lowermost face thereof is approached. The angle of inclination of the outlet 46 for chamber 24 is greater than that of the head 48, whereby the space 50 therebetween progressively decreases as the chamber 24 is approached.

A nozzle 52 removably mounted on the lowermost end of the body 10, houses the metering member 40 and the tube 28 is provided with an outlet end 54 that terminates slightly below the lowermost end of the tube 28. Tube 28 in turn is provided with a plurality of downwardly and outwardly inclined outlet ports 56 for directing the syrup against the inner face of nozzle 52 next adjacent the lowermost outlet end 54 of the latter.

Flow of syrup and carbonating fluid is: directed to conduits 14 and 16 upon opening of suitable valves (not shown) between the couplings 18 and 20 and the supply reservoirs for the fluids. Thus, when such valves are opened, the syrup ows from the conduit 14 directly into the chamber 22, thence through the passage 34 at a rate determined by the adjusted positioning of metering pin 36, then downwardly through the tube 28 and out the ports 56. As aforementioned, such fluid first contacts the lowermost marginal edge of the nozzle 52 before gravitating therefrom into an underlying receiving cup (not shown).

Simultaneously, the pressurized carbonating fluid flows from the conduit 16 into the chamber 24 and thence into the nozzle 52 by way of the space 50 between head 48 and the outlet 46 for-chamber 24, It can be readily seen that the carbonating uid emanating from the space 50 is directed to the inner face of the nozzle 52 adjacent the connection of the latter with the body 10. Such carbonating uid thereby flows by force of gravity downwardly along the inner face of the nozzle 52 in a smooth sheetwhere it admixes with the syrup as the latter emanates from the ports 56 and comes into contact with theV nozzle 52 adjacent the outlet opening 54.

Accordingly, the carbonating fluid is permitted to rst expand without agitation in the chamber 24. It is then released into the'nozzle 52 again Ywithout agitation because: it is only'permitted to expand gradually and progressively because of the gradual increase in size of the space 50 as the lower end of the latter is approached. The provision of annular space 50 in such manner is extremely important, for the carbonating uid does not surge into the nozzle 52 but is directed against the inner walls of the. lattery in a smooth owing sheet and such lack of agitation continues even through the period of time of admixture with the syrup emanating from ports 56.

Consequently, the syrup of the carbonated drink has the carbonating fluid properly and thoroughly admixed Y therewith with maximum bubbling as is desired and with minimum loss of the bubbling characteristics of the carbonating fluid primarily because of the smooth flowing features of the uids through the remote control mixing faucet.

Accordingly, while details of construction may vary within the spirit of the instant invention, it is desired to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mixing faucet for carbonating beverages, a hollow body having a chamber for receiving a syrup and a chamber for receiving a pressurized carbonating Huid; a supply conduit communicating with each chamber respectively; a nozzle mounted on the body below the Huid chamber and provided with an outlet at its lowermost end; a syrup outlet tube carried by the body Vand extending downwardly from the syrup chamber through the uid gressively increasing as the lowermost end of the latter v is approached whereby the pressure of said fluid is gradually released into the nozzle.

2. In a mixing faucet for carbonating beverages, a hol- Y low body having a chamber for receiving a syrupV and a chamber for receiving a pressurized carbonating fluid; a supply conduit communicating with each chamber respectively; a nozzle mounted on the body below the fluid chamber and provided with an outlet at its lowermost end;V a syrup outlet tube carried by the body and extending downwardly from the syrup chamber through the fluid chamber and into the nozzle, said fluid chamber having a frusto-conical outlet at its lowermost end, progressively increasing in diameter as the nozzle is approached; and a truste-conical metering member mounted on the tube within said outlet of the fluid chamber for controlling ow of lluid from the fluid chamber and directing the same into the nozzle and against the inner face of the latter, the space between the wall of said body forming the frustoconical outlet and the metering member progressively increasing as the lowermost end of the latter is approached whereby the pressure of said fluid is gradually released into the nozzle, there being a screw-threaded interconnection between the tube and the member providing for minute adjustment of the size of said space.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS Re. 23,109 Di Pietro May 10, 1949 1,429,574 England Sept. 19, 1922 1,743,738 Travis Jan. 14, 1930 2,657,952 Mendonca Nov. 3, 1953 

